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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22791685">An End In Sight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/heydoeydoey/pseuds/heydoeydoey'>heydoeydoey</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Everything 'verse [24]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Glee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2011-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2011-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 17:47:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22791685</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/heydoeydoey/pseuds/heydoeydoey</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Puck thinks they’ve crossed into new territory. Also, Puck makes pudding again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kurt Hummel/Noah Puckerman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Everything 'verse [24]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638469</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>An End In Sight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p><a id="cutid1" name="cutid1"></a>Puck wakes up to his phone ringing on April 3rd.  It’s a Saturday and he had every intention of sleeping in, considering it was almost three AM when he got home last night.  The ringtone playing loudly in his ear is Kurt’s and he searches blindly for his phone.  He finds it half-tucked under his pillow and he figures that makes sense since he was texting his boyfriend before he fell asleep.</p><p>“Yeah?” He asks sleepily.</p><p>“Noah,” Kurt’s voice is shaky like he’s about to cry and Puck is suddenly very awake.</p><p>“What’s wrong, babe?”</p><p>“Nothing.  I don’t think.  I just…I need you to come over.”</p><p>“You’re kind of freaking me out.” Puck admits, already kicking free of his covers and searching for clothes to throw on.  He pins the phone between his shoulder and his ear and pulls his jeans from yesterday on awkwardly.</p><p>“I don’t mean to.  There’s a letter from NYU and I’m afraid to open it.”</p><p>Puck heart suddenly starts to slam against his ribcage, hard enough that he hears it in his ears. “Seriously?  What’s it look like?”</p><p>“Um, it’s an envelope.  With a purple return address.”</p><p>“I meant is it a big envelope or a little envelope?”</p><p>“Does that matter?” Kurt squeaks, and Puck wonders how <em>he</em> knows the big envelope/little envelope rule when Kurt doesn’t, considering Kurt’s the one who applied to nine schools and Puck applied to zero.</p><p>“Course not.  Ignore me.  I’m not really awake yet.  I’ll be there in ten.” Puck shoves his feet into battered Converse and grabs his keys. He’s in his truck before he realises he’s not wearing a shirt.  He thinks about going back into the house, but if Kurt complains when he gets there (which he won’t) Puck can always borrow a t-shirt from him.<br/>
<br/>
The Hummel driveway is empty when Puck pulls up to the house, which means Burt is at the garage and Finn is either at Sheets ‘n’ Things or Rachel’s and Carole is working the early morning shift at the hospital.</p><p>He lets himself into the house and finds Kurt pacing in the kitchen.  From the looks of it, he’d started eating breakfast when he checked the mail, because there’s a bowl of Frosted Flakes on the counter that have gone soggy.<br/>
<br/>
“It got here <em>yesterday</em>.” Kurt says breathlessly. “And nobody thought to <em>tell</em> me.”</p><p>Puck reaches out, catching Kurt by the shoulders. “Sit,” he suggests, guiding Kurt to a chair.  He swipes the envelope off the counter.  It’s a normal-sized envelope, but it still feels pretty thick, so Puck isn’t worried.  Plus, it’s the first of nine.  Kurt is awesome, and Puck knows at least one of the colleges will see that.  Probably more than one, since Puck doesn’t think Ms. Pillsbury would set Kurt up for disappointment, letting him apply to schools that he didn’t have a chance in hell of getting into.</p><p>He passes the letter to Kurt. “Open it,” he urges.</p><p>“I can’t.  I’m too nervous.”</p><p>“Well, I’m not going to open it.  It’s your mail.”  Puck doesn’t want to be the one who tells Kurt bad news, <em>if</em> it’s bad news.</p><p>Kurt takes a deep breath before sliding his thumb under the envelope’s flap.  The kitchen is silent except for the hum of the refrigerator and the sound of rustling paper as Kurt pulls out the piece of NYU letterhead, folded into thirds.</p><p>His face goes pink as he reads, but Puck can’t tell if it’s pleased-pink or about-to-cry-pink and he knows better than to read over Kurt’s shoulder, so he sits, bouncing his leg impatiently and resisting the urge to demand to know what’s going on.</p><p>Kurt shoves the paper into his hands before bursting into tears and for a second Puck thinks it’s bad news before he sees <em>Congratulations, Mr. Hummel! </em>is the first sentence of the letter.  He lets out a sort of victory whoop, raising his arms in the air before remembering with a jolt that Kurt is crying. </p><p>“What’s wrong, babe?” Puck asks quietly, rubbing soothing circles on Kurt’s back. “You got in.”</p><p>“I know.” Kurt says, taking another deep breath to calm himself down. “We’re leaving, Noah.  We’re actually getting out of this place.”</p><p>“Uh, yeah, babe, we’ve been planning it for ages.”</p><p>“I know that.  But this is different.  Now it’s real.” Kurt says and he smiles so wide Puck thinks it must hurt.  He presses his forehead against Puck’s and wraps his arms around Puck’s neck in a tight hug.  After a second, he pulls back. “You’re not wearing a shirt.”</p><p>“Nope,” Puck grins. “I forgot one.”</p><p>Kurt laughs and drops a kiss on Puck’s bare shoulder.</p><p>“We have to celebrate.” Puck says definitively. “You stay here and make all the phone calls you need to make or whatever; I’ll run out and get supplies.”</p><p>“For what?” Kurt frowns.</p><p>“You’ll see.  Can I borrow a shirt?”</p><p>Kurt nods and walks to the stairs, where there's a basket of folded laundry waiting to be taken up to his room. He fishes through and hands Puck a plain blue t-shirt.</p><p>“It’s not really your colour, but it will do.” Kurt says with a small smile.  Puck leans in to take the shirt, sliding his arms around Kurt’s waist and pulling him in for a kiss first.</p><p>“I’m so proud of you.” Puck says, grinning against Kurt’s mouth.</p><p>Puck makes a quick trip to the grocery store to buy the things he needs.  When he gets back, Kurt is on the phone with someone—Puck would guess Mercedes, judging from how rapid-fire the conversation is—but Kurt still watches curiously while he unpacks the grocery bag and his face lights up when he realises what Puck is planning to make.</p><p>An hour later they’re sitting on the Hudmel’s back porch swing, eating dirt pudding straight from the bowl.</p><p>“I didn’t really believe it was going to happen.” Kurt admits quietly, digging through the pudding with his spoon for a gummi worm.<br/>
<br/>
“No?” Puck asks.<br/>
<br/>
Kurt shakes his head. “This town…it makes it hard to remember there’s an end in sight, you know?”<br/>
<br/>
Puck nods, because he does know, now more than ever.<br/>
<br/>
“You’re still coming with me, right?” Kurt asks, and Puck glances over to see that he’s genuinely worried.<br/>
<br/>
“Believe me, babe,” Puck grins. “You’re stuck with me forever.”<br/>
<br/>
Kurt blushes and Puck wonders if maybe he should be playing that particular card closer to his chest.<br/>
<br/>
“Good.” Kurt says softly, glancing sideways to meet Puck’s eyes. “I was hoping you’d say that.”<br/>
<br/>
Puck thinks they’ve just crossed into new territory, although he’s not entirely sure if it matters that much.  It’s not like anything is <em>that</em> different.  They’re just on the same page now.<br/>
<a id="cutid1-end" name="cutid1-end"></a></p>
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